Wednesday, October 14, 2015

As Failure Abounds, Then Converges With Success

EVERYONE wants success, as everyone
wants prosperity. And, yet, we all define such things so differently. One
common factor we all have to face, however, is the prevalence of failure — we’ll
all fall short of the marks of success and prosperity we set for ourselves. We’ll
all be frustrated. We’ll all suffer grief.

Unless we redefine what success is…

“Success
is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.”

— Winston Churchill

Success, as it
happens, is all about attitude. It’s about what goes on between the ears and
between the twelve inches between the head and the heart.

Enthusiasm, says the
former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, is the key to success, because a
person striding forward has no worry of constant failure. They know that, by
faith, they’ll have their share of success. Why should they fear failure? They
have the audacity to not be bothered by it. They’re no longer psyched out by
performance pressure because of the prospect of defeat.

The ultimate
faith: to keep stepping forward when all vision ahead and around is grief. When
nothing makes sense, and the forlorn nature of life is contended with an unconscionable
cheeriness, it’s not insanity in view, but the coolest courage.

As we walk with
our heads held high in the midst of defeat we say something cogent to our world
— we’ll be back… we’ll be okay… it’s not the end… the latest failure is fodder
for future success. Some people are watching extra close. Some want to see us
buckle, yet others are praying we’ll show them something they’ve never seen
before. Still others know that our attitude will define more than simply our
own success. Much can be made out of a cheerful attitude when in the grip of groaning.
Our focus is on proving inspirational in our application of innovation.

If success is just resilience in the face of
failure, we see success redefined in just being resilient.

Success is just a
fancy word for strength; those that fail well have the best strength.

Failure is a sign
of reality in a fallen world. We’ll all fail. Failing with dignity is simply
about knowing it’s not the end, that there’s room for a smile, a laugh, for
perspective.

Fear has no
business with the person free to fail. Fear moves onto the next pushover. Fear
decides who to cling to and it’s certainly not going to hang out with the
courageous.

Let’s fail well, and
have the pluck to look fear in the eye, and go on beyond it. Let’s learn to
laugh in the face of fear, not to be derisive of the issues we need to take stock
of, but to not let it affect our mental and emotional health. To remain
positive.

To fail well is to
fail honestly, to honour the truth, and to find joy even in disaster.

The successful
have mastered how to fail. In mastering failure a person’s ready for success.